


Steel Wrapped in Velvet

by DarkWarriorProgram (KoolKat_SuperStar_DareDevil), DorianBlackwall, KaitoKitsune



Series: Ghosts of the Spectres [4]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Colonist (Mass Effect), Mass Effect 1, Mass Effect 2, Mass Effect 3, Post-Virmire, Virmire (Mass Effect), War Hero (Mass Effect)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-24
Updated: 2019-04-24
Packaged: 2020-01-11 19:22:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18430487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KoolKat_SuperStar_DareDevil/pseuds/DarkWarriorProgram, https://archiveofourown.org/users/DorianBlackwall/pseuds/DorianBlackwall, https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaitoKitsune/pseuds/KaitoKitsune
Summary: If you were to ask anyone to describe Storm Shepard the only ones who would have something bad to say are the ones who’ve crossed her. It was hard not to like her, she was compassionate, caring, and wanted to help those around her. In the beginning Normandy’s crew would’ve said the same, but if you tried to use her soft nature against her you were in for a big surprise.





	1. A Sequence of Attacks and Sacrifices- Wrex

Normally Wrex would be all for killing people. But this time it didn’t quite sit right with him. The colonists here had no choice in attacking them. Mind controlling plants. If he had known joining up with Shepard to kill Fist would end up with him ending up in the insane situations the woman gets them in he would hit his past self. Running over Geth and Husks with the Mako was one thing; killing people in cold blood was another. Wrex would never admit it, but he was a little relieved when the other group of colonists gave them the nerve grenades, he just hoped they had enough grenades that they didn’t have to kill anyone. The thought sounded absurd even when he knew the context. The thing outside the gate leading to the colony of Zhu’s Hope was creepy, but no more so than the Husks, but Storm’s emotionless voice as she ordered Wrex and Garrus to leave no survivors made his skin crawl. The turian subtly protested her decision by asking her if she was sure.  
“Yes. Clean sweep. Leave nothing alive,” Shepard drew her gun and hit the button to open the large door separating them from the small colony. They both followed behind her; both of them said they would follow her lead, but now Wrex was starting to regret that decision.

The Normandy cargo bay was empty as Storm had taken Williams and the quarian for whatever mission she was currently on. Clearly what happened on Feros had been weighing on the turian’s mind as well. Garrus ended up being the one to break the silence.  
“I’m starting to wonder if it’s too late to leave. Feros was a disaster.”  
“How? The mind controlling plant is dead and we know where Saren is going next,” The krogan responded.  
“She slaughtered an entire colony when there was a way to stop them without harming them,” Garrus began getting frustrated as the slight echo to his voice became more pronounced.  
“They were attacking us, turian.”  
“Because the Thorian was making them.”  
“What’s your point,” Wrex asked. He really didn’t know what Garrus was getting at.  
“Shepard killed them in cold blood. That’s murder in every race.” Silence settled over the cargo bay again before being broken once again.  
“I know. Not like we can do anything now,” Wrex sighed, “and it’s not like she killed them alone.”  
“Shepard is the one gave the order. Their blood is on her hands,” the turian insisted. “You don’t blame a gun for killing someone.”  
“Fair enough.” There was a pause before he spoke again. “I don’t usually care, but what happened wasn’t right.”  
“Yeah, it wasn’t the first time and I bet it won’t be the last,” Garrus turned his attention back to the Mako in a clear indication he was done with the conversation. When he and the turian agreed on something it meant there was something really wrong. Storm Shepard may have everyone else fooled, but the two of them at the very least knew she may as well have been made of ice.


	2. What Could've Been- Ashley

_Why me? Why was I the one she saved?_ That was the only question Ashley could ask as they sat aboard the Normandy after watching the facility on Virmire explode, taking Kaidan with it. The gunnery chief knew when she heard the Geth were swarming Kaidan as well that only one of them would be leaving the planet. She just didn’t expect it to be her. Shepard and Kaidan were sweet on each other, that much was obvious from they way they spoke to one another to the way their face would lighten just a little when they saw the other. Now Ashley found herself wondering if she was imagining it. In Storm’s place, she would have saved Kaidan without hesitation because of the fact they’d had something between them. When Shepard came down to talk to her later the other woman didn’t even flinch when she brought it up. The gunnery chief had taken a good look at Shepard’s eyes when they talked about Alenko’s death and she’d found nothing. Nothing to indicate Storm even cared about him; no sadness, no regret, just blank. Ashley let it go at the time thinking that the commander was locking everythng inside or trying not to seem weak in front of her crew, which wouldn’t have been possible. No one who knew Storm Shepard would _ever_ consider her weak. Days passed by and then weeks and still nothing whenever Kaidan was mentioned. The commander simply went about her business stopping Saren. The indifference toward someone’s death who she had a budding relationship with made gunnery chief Ashley Williams realize that for all her show of saving people and helping them, Storm Shepard as everyone knew her was nothing but an elaborate facade.


End file.
